Prep Boys Track: Several teams in NUIC mix

The Galena/East Dubuque/River Ridge and Lena-Winslow teams step into the new boys track season with different outlooks.

While they both have new head coaches, one has lost a lot of its firepower while the other has enough returning to take aim at stealing the NUIC title.

“I know there are a lot of strong teams out there, and Le-Win isn’t going to give in to anybody,” said first-year head coach but longtime G/ED/RR assistant Dan Gunning. “But it’s going to be a dogfight, and we want to be right there in it.”

Lena-Winslow’s Pete Brown stepped down after 34 years as head coach after his team won the NUIC title last year. Now, the Panthers will have to rebuild under new head coach Austin Rickels, and with a lot fewer athletes on the roster.

While Rickels refuses to speculate why, several of the team’s former standouts decided not to come out for track this season, leaving the Panthers with only 20 athletes on the roster.

Le-Win has just three returning varsity runners, led by Tristan Fox, a state qualifier in both the 800-meter dash and 300 hurdles last year. Senior Michael Leverton (middle distance and high jump) and junior Frank Santoro (distance) will attempt to help Fox keep the team in contention, but coupled with the seniors they lost to graduation, the Panthers have a tall ladder to climb.

“I have a lot of theories and there are a lot of variables to why a lot of those guys didn’t come out this year, but it doesn’t really matter right now,” Rickels said. “We’ve got to do it with the guys we have here right now, and we’ve got some quality athletes.”

So, too, does G/ED/RR, which is expected to be near the top along with Polo/Forreston by postseason time. New sprinter Sawyer Mullane, as well as defending conference shot-put champ Kade McNeely, will lead this group, which Gunning says is deep in sprinters, jumpers and relay runners, but a little light in the distances.

All-conference hurdler Ethan Baltz is expected to be a force for G/ED/RR as well. But Polo/Forreston has 50 boys on the roster, and plenty of talent ­— enough to claim the frosh-soph track title the past two seasons.

And, according to coach Ryan Deets: “This year’s team is extremely balanced.”

Brian and Brad Cavanaugh have earned respect throughout the league in both the high jump and triple jump events, and junior sprinter Max Barkalow, as well as senior distance runner Ethan Ditzler, help make this a team with weapons at every spot.

Dakota has struggled out of the blocks so far, but the Indians hope to gain some momentum as the weather warms up, led by sophomore middle-distance runner Adam Wise and junior sprinter Nathaniel Smith. Pecatonica/Durand’s Rhyse Evenson, who was the sectional long jump champion last season, will join two-time, state-qualifying distance runner Jeremy Degner to try and put his team in contention. And South Beloit’s Paul Wilson will be one to watch in the sprints and middle distances.

And while West Carroll said goodbye to versatile sprinter Jacob Klein, senior distance runner Jeff Casey, Jacob Carey and Paawan Dandona look to keep their team in the hunt throughout.

Cody Kluck, one of the area’s best long jumpers and 400 runners, is the fuel that runs Pearl City’s engine as well.